Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
Country

Science in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia ranks #31 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#29 all time), with 156k research works and 14.4% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#31
of 189 · #29 all time
Works, 2022-now
156k
▲ 72% vs 2018-21
Citations
6.4M
16.5 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
14.4%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.18×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
0
2 in the top 1,000
Open access
57%
world 40%
International
43%
world 18%
Saudi Arabia

What is Saudi Arabia strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, Saudi Arabia ranks highest in Engineering (#24 of 131), Computer Science (#26 of 128) and Chemistry (#15 of 71). Relative to its size it is most specialised in General Dentistry, Orthodontics and Modeling and Simulation.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
EngineeringField #24 of 131 16.2%25,788 #26 Institutions
Computer ScienceField #26 of 128 19.3%14,309 #27 Institutions
ChemistryField #15 of 71 16.4%4,496 #15 Institutions
Materials ScienceField #20 of 87 14.6%9,813 #18 Institutions
Organic ChemistrySubfield #15 of 63 16.7%2,552 #15 Institutions
Environmental ScienceField #30 of 122 16.5%6,030 #30 Institutions
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #31 of 124 18.3%5,889 #31 Institutions
Business, Management and AccountingField #28 of 110 20.2%3,985 #27 Institutions
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringSubfield #22 of 86 16.5%6,609 #23 Institutions
EnergyField #20 of 71 13.0%3,028 #22 Institutions
MedicineField #43 of 152 9.4%33,480 - Institutions
Health ProfessionsField #30 of 106 15.0%4,171 #27 Institutions

Where its research is concentrated

Location quotient: how much more (or less) of each node it does than its size predicts. Drawn around 1×, where "twice the world share" and "half of it" are the same distance apart in opposite directions. A volume reading, which on a country axis is largely population and industrial structure.

  1. General DentistrySubfield · 438.1 works · #6 of 177 active here5.6×
  2. OrthodonticsSubfield · 1,027.6 works · #7 of 173 active here5.1×
  3. Modeling and SimulationSubfield · 1,204.8 works · #4 of 206 active here4.8×
  4. DentistryField · 3,752.9 works · #5 of 204 active here4.3×
  5. Oral SurgerySubfield · 1,452.9 works4.2×
  6. Numerical AnalysisSubfield · 561.8 works · #7 of 173 active here3.7×
  7. Research and TheorySubfield · 163.9 works · #8 of 183 active here3.5×
  8. PeriodonticsSubfield · 834.2 works3.4×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

The whole field profile

All 26 fields at once. A specialist and a generalist produce the same ranked list and a completely different shape.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.79× its world share, 6,694 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.89× its world share, 8,506 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.90× its world share, 1,630 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.79× its world share, 2,286 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 2.26× its world share, 1,430 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.73× its world share, 1,085 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.78× its world share, 4,992 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.18× its world share, 16k worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.58× its world share, 1,640 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 2.16× its world share, 3,552 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.09× its world share, 29k worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.80× its world share, 7,100 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.80× its world share, 11k worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 2.57× its world share, 5,411 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.77× its world share, 3,086 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 4.32× its world share, 3,753 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.00× its world share, 4,719 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 1.12× its world share, 39k worksMedicineNursing: 1.31× its world share, 1,152 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.75× its world share, 183 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.48× its world share, 2,472 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.80× its world share, 4,639 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.21× its world share, 2,098 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.68× its world share, 2,625 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.87× its world share, 4,737 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.43× its world share, 9,714 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Dentistry, 4.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Dentistry4.32×3,753 works
  2. Mathematics2.57×5,411 works
  3. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics2.26×1,430 works
  4. Energy2.16×3,552 works
  5. Materials Science1.80×11k works
  6. Chemistry1.78×4,992 works
  7. Chemical Engineering1.73×1,085 works
  8. Nursing1.31×1,152 works
  9. Decision Sciences1.21×2,098 works
  10. Computer Science1.18×16k works
  11. Medicine1.12×39k works
  12. Engineering1.09×29k works
  13. Health Professions1.00×4,719 works
  14. Immunology and Microbiology0.90×1,630 works
  15. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.89×8,506 works
  16. Psychology0.87×4,737 works
  17. Environmental Science0.80×7,100 works
  18. Business, Management and Accounting0.80×4,639 works
  19. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.79×6,694 works
  20. Neuroscience0.79×2,286 works
  21. Physics and Astronomy0.77×3,086 works
  22. Veterinary0.75×183 works
  23. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.68×2,625 works
  24. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.58×1,640 works
  25. Arts and Humanities0.48×2,472 works
  26. Social Sciences0.43×9,714 works

Which fields of science does Saudi Arabia work in?

In 2022-now, 47% of research in Saudi Arabia is in Physical Sciences, 27% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Medicine (22%), Engineering (16%), Computer Science (9%).

Physical Sciences: 84k fractional works · 46.8% of its workEngineering: 29k fractional works · 16.4% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 7,421 fractional works · 4.1% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 4,891 fractional works · 2.7% of its workMechanical Engineering: 3,860 fractional works · 2.2% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1,996 fractional works · 1.1% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 1,806 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAerospace Engineering: 1,462 fractional works · 0.8% of its workComputational Mechanics: 1,426 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBuilding and Construction: 1,410 fractional works · 0.8% of its workMechanics of Materials: 1,370 fractional works · 0.8% of its workOcean Engineering: 1,361 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 821 fractional works · 0.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 601 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMedia Technology: 477 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 381 fractional works · 0.2% of its workComputer Science: 16k fractional works · 9.2% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 5,758 fractional works · 3.2% of its workInformation Systems: 2,926 fractional works · 1.6% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 2,511 fractional works · 1.4% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 2,121 fractional works · 1.2% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 1,297 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSignal Processing: 790 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComputer Science Applications: 458 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 616 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMaterials Science: 11k fractional works · 6.3% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 6,615 fractional works · 3.7% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 1,613 fractional works · 0.9% of its workPolymers and Plastics: 1,447 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBiomaterials: 1,035 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 545 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Science: 7,100 fractional works · 4.0% of its workWater Science and Technology: 1,610 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1,055 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPollution: 839 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 805 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 757 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEcology: 616 fractional works · 0.3% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 615 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 393 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 410 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematics: 5,411 fractional works · 3.0% of its workApplied Mathematics: 1,317 fractional works · 0.7% of its workModeling and Simulation: 1,205 fractional works · 0.7% of its workStatistics and Probability: 978 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeometry and Topology: 698 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNumerical Analysis: 562 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMathematical Physics: 366 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 286 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 4,992 fractional works · 2.8% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 2,811 fractional works · 1.6% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 683 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 682 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSpectroscopy: 419 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 398 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnergy: 3,552 fractional works · 2.0% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 3,163 fractional works · 1.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 389 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 3,086 fractional works · 1.7% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 1,185 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 890 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 427 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 584 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1,640 fractional works · 0.9% of its workGeophysics: 576 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,064 fractional works · 0.6% of its workChemical Engineering: 1,085 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCatalysis: 430 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 655 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Sciences: 48k fractional works · 27.1% of its workMedicine: 39k fractional works · 21.6% of its workSurgery: 4,451 fractional works · 2.5% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 3,019 fractional works · 1.7% of its workEpidemiology: 2,646 fractional works · 1.5% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 2,323 fractional works · 1.3% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 2,088 fractional works · 1.2% of its workOncology: 1,836 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 1,702 fractional works · 0.9% of its workPhysiology: 1,693 fractional works · 0.9% of its workInfectious Diseases: 1,500 fractional works · 0.8% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 1,455 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPharmacology: 1,208 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 1,128 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 1,021 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNeurology: 969 fractional works · 0.5% of its workRheumatology: 944 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 883 fractional works · 0.5% of its workOphthalmology: 794 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDermatology: 702 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComplementary and alternative medicine: 679 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEmergency Medicine: 674 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHematology: 662 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGenetics: 591 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Informatics: 554 fractional works · 0.3% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 496 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRehabilitation: 413 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNephrology: 402 fractional works · 0.2% of its workOrthopedics and Sports Medicine: 400 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGeriatrics and Gerontology: 372 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBiochemistry: 371 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2,701 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 4,719 fractional works · 2.6% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 1,990 fractional works · 1.1% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 624 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Information Management: 597 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,509 fractional works · 0.8% of its workDentistry: 3,753 fractional works · 2.1% of its workOral Surgery: 1,453 fractional works · 0.8% of its workOrthodontics: 1,028 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPeriodontics: 834 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeneral Dentistry: 438 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNursing: 1,152 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 870 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 282 fractional works · 0.2% of its workVeterinary: 183 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 26k fractional works · 14.7% of its workSocial Sciences: 9,714 fractional works · 5.4% of its workSociology and Political Science: 3,354 fractional works · 1.9% of its workEducation: 2,910 fractional works · 1.6% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 530 fractional works · 0.3% of its workTransportation: 437 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth: 404 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2,080 fractional works · 1.2% of its workPsychology: 4,737 fractional works · 2.6% of its workClinical Psychology: 1,814 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSocial Psychology: 1,059 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 820 fractional works · 0.5% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 774 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 270 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 4,639 fractional works · 2.6% of its workAccounting: 1,135 fractional works · 0.6% of its workStrategy and Management: 1,055 fractional works · 0.6% of its workManagement Information Systems: 715 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 630 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMarketing: 627 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 477 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 2,625 fractional works · 1.5% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 1,892 fractional works · 1.1% of its workFinance: 520 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 213 fractional works · 0.1% of its workArts and Humanities: 2,472 fractional works · 1.4% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 1,035 fractional works · 0.6% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 672 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 766 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDecision Sciences: 2,098 fractional works · 1.2% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 1,113 fractional works · 0.6% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 547 fractional works · 0.3% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 434 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLife Sciences: 21k fractional works · 11.5% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 8,506 fractional works · 4.7% of its workMolecular Biology: 4,726 fractional works · 2.6% of its workGenetics: 1,289 fractional works · 0.7% of its workCancer Research: 599 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCell Biology: 444 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMolecular Medicine: 418 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,030 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 6,694 fractional works · 3.7% of its workPlant Science: 3,365 fractional works · 1.9% of its workFood Science: 1,315 fractional works · 0.7% of its workInsect Science: 478 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAnimal Science and Zoology: 365 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 362 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 809 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNeuroscience: 2,287 fractional works · 1.3% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 912 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNeurology: 554 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 821 fractional works · 0.5% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1,631 fractional works · 0.9% of its workImmunology: 896 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 734 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1,431 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPharmacology: 642 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmaceutical Science: 471 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 317 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKSaudi Arabia179kfractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences11%Physical Sciences47%Health Sciences27%Social Sciences15%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this country does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Engineering29k16.4%
    2. Computer Science16k9.2%
    3. Materials Science11k6.3%
    4. Environmental Science7,1004.0%
    5. Mathematics5,4113.0%
    6. Chemistry4,9922.8%
    7. Energy3,5522.0%
    8. Physics and Astronomy3,0861.7%
    9. Earth and Planetary Sciences1,6400.9%
    10. Chemical Engineering1,0850.6%
    1. Medicine39k21.6%
    2. Health Professions4,7192.6%
    3. Dentistry3,7532.1%
    4. Nursing1,1520.6%
    5. Veterinary1830.1%
    1. Social Sciences9,7145.4%
    2. Psychology4,7372.6%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting4,6392.6%
    4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance2,6251.5%
    5. Arts and Humanities2,4721.4%
    6. Decision Sciences2,0981.2%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8,5064.7%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences6,6943.7%
    3. Neuroscience2,2871.3%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology1,6310.9%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics1,4310.8%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in Saudi Arabia?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Epidemiology, Nanomaterials, Heat Transfer, Nanoparticles, Experimental Investigation and Healthcare.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Machine Learning9,377▲ 1.57×97 topics
  2. Epidemiology8,606▲ 1.20×140 topics
  3. Deep Learning8,212▲ 1.33×85 topics
  4. Nanomaterials4,903▲ 2.6×21 topics
  5. Inflammation4,358◆ 1.14×83 topics
  6. Nanoparticles4,169▲ 1.85×44 topics
  7. Renewable Energy3,548▲ 1.37×61 topics
  8. Healthcare3,546▲ 1.73×38 topics
  9. Oxidative Stress3,515▲ 1.19×63 topics
  10. Quality of Life3,402▲ 1.31×58 topics
  11. Environmental Impact3,365◆ 1.10×72 topics
  12. Heat Transfer3,190▲ 3.6×20 topics
  13. Biomedical Applications3,145▲ 1.48×36 topics
  14. COVID-192,875▲ 1.23×33 topics
  15. Graphene2,614▲ 2.2×12 topics
  16. Nanocomposites2,530▲ 1.79×22 topics
  17. Supply Chain Management2,398▲ 1.49×26 topics
  18. Antioxidant2,358▲ 1.92×51 topics
  19. Synthesis1,863▲ 2.8×37 topics
  20. Toxicity1,816▲ 2.3×20 topics
  21. Nanostructures1,774▲ 2.4×17 topics
  22. IoT Security1,724▲ 3.1×3 topics
  23. Smart Cities1,649▲ 3.5×8 topics
  24. Water Splitting1,646▲ 2.5×4 topics
  25. Experimental Investigation1,634▲ 8.8×5 topics
  26. Nonlinear Equations1,616▲ 7.0×6 topics
  27. Applications1,601▲ 3.3×8 topics
  28. Solar Energy1,585▲ 2.8×5 topics
  29. Antimicrobial1,475▲ 2.9×14 topics
  30. Green Synthesis1,351▲ 4.0×5 topics
  31. Thermal Conductivity1,290▲ 4.5×8 topics
  32. Nanofluids1,272▲ 8.6×2 topics
  33. Review1,231▲ 5.7×5 topics
  34. Viscosity1,059▲ 8.3×4 topics
  35. Convective Transport1,015▲ 12×1 topic
  36. Enhancement1,015▲ 12×1 topic
  37. Fractional Calculus1,005▲ 9.9×2 topics
  38. Anomalous Diffusion942▲ 9.4×2 topics
  39. Homotopy Analysis Method910▲ 11×1 topic
  40. Random Walk910▲ 11×1 topic

Which research topics does Saudi Arabia publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are Nanofluid Flow and Heat Transfer, Fractional Differential Equations Solutions, Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques.

Nanofluid Flow and Heat …1,015Nanofluid Flow and Heat Transfer: 1,015 fractional worksFractional Differential …910Fractional Differential Equations Solutions: 910 fractional worksAdvanced Photocatalysis Techniques: 898 fractional worksSocioeconomic Development in MENA: 711 fractional worksOrganizational and Employee Performance: 706 fractional worksNanoparticles: synthesis…699Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications: 699 fractional worksNetwork Security and Intrusion Detection: 682 fractional worksIoT and Edge/Fog Computing: 592 fractional worksDental materials and res…586Dental materials and restorations: 586 fractional worksAdsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal: 574 fractional worksBlockchain Technology Applications and Security: 567 fractional worksHeat Transfer Mechanisms556Heat Transfer Mechanisms: 556 fractional works
Biomedical EngineeringModeling and SimulationRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentSociology and Political Science7 others

Area is fractional works in 2022-now; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to. Every tile is a topic page.

  1. 1 Nanofluid Flow and Heat Transfer Biomedical Engineering 1k works
  2. 2 Fractional Differential Equations Solutions Modeling and Simulation 910 works
  3. 3 Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 898 works
  4. 4 Socioeconomic Development in MENA Sociology and Political Science 711 works
  5. 5 Organizational and Employee Performance Artificial Intelligence 706 works
  6. 6 Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications Materials Chemistry 699 works
  7. 7 Network Security and Intrusion Detection Computer Networks and Communications 682 works
  8. 8 IoT and Edge/Fog Computing Computer Networks and Communications 592 works
  9. 9 Dental materials and restorations Orthodontics 586 works
  10. 10 Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal Water Science and Technology 574 works
  11. 11 Blockchain Technology Applications and Security Information Systems 567 works
  12. 12 Heat Transfer Mechanisms Mechanical Engineering 556 works

How many world-class institutions does Saudi Arabia hold?

Average quality and elite capacity disagree by construction, and both are worth knowing: the first is decided by a country's whole institution population, the second counts the institutions it holds at the top. One square per institution.

Standing among countries2022-nowWhere that sitsAll time
Average qualityits whole institution population #31 of 189 #29 of 203
Elite capacitythe institutions it holds at the top #34 of 204 #31 of 216

Elite capacity counts a country's institutions by their worldwide rank, weighted so a place at #1 counts for more than one at #480. Countries under 100 fractional works are left out.

101st to 500th1501st to 1,000th1

Bands are exclusive, so the squares add up to 2 (the institutions it holds in the world top 1,000), not to four times it.

Which universities in Saudi Arabia lead research?

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King Abdulaziz University and University of Business and Technology rank highest in Saudi Arabia on research quality in 2022-now.

0%10%20%mean 16.7%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Busine…King Abdullah Univer…King Saud UniversityKing Abdulaziz Unive…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per institution in the list below. The upper left is the interesting corner.

  1. 1King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyUniversity · Jeddah · #221 worldwide17.4% top 10% · 5.7k works
  2. 2King Abdulaziz UniversityUniversity · Jeddah · #933 worldwide13.8% top 10% · 11k works
  3. 3University of Business and TechnologyUniversity · Jeddah · #1,038 worldwide22.6% top 10% · 2k works
  4. 4King Saud UniversityUniversity · Riyadh · #1,051 worldwide14.1% top 10% · 20k works
  5. 5Ministry of EducationGovernment institution · Riyadh · #1,144 worldwide19.1% top 10% · 655 works
  6. 6King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsUniversity · Dhahran · #1,157 worldwide16.9% top 10% · 7.2k works
  7. 7Prince Sultan UniversityUniversity · Riyadh · #1,338 worldwide22.1% top 10% · 2.3k works
  8. 8Jouf UniversityUniversity · Sakakah · #1,637 worldwide18.6% top 10% · 2.7k works
  9. 9Saudi Electronic UniversityUniversity · Riyadh · #1,726 worldwide18.0% top 10% · 1.1k works
  10. 10King Faisal UniversityUniversity · Hofuf · #1,820 worldwide16.1% top 10% · 5.2k works
  11. 11Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityUniversity · Riyadh · #1,985 worldwide18.1% top 10% · 5.3k works
  12. 12Majmaah UniversityUniversity · Riyadh · #2,354 worldwide15.4% top 10% · 1.9k works
  13. 13Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia)Company · Dhahran · #2,395 worldwide4.3% top 10% · 3.5k works
  14. 14University of BishaUniversity · Bisha · #2,479 worldwide16.5% top 10% · 1.2k works
  15. 15King Khalid UniversityUniversity · Abhā · #2,482 worldwide17.5% top 10% · 7.7k works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Saudi Arabia

Who are the top researchers in Saudi Arabia?

Xuping Sun, Arunodaya Raj Mishra and Osman M. Bakr rank highest among researchers based in Saudi Arabia.

  1. 1 Xuping Sun #352 worldwide 82k citations · 678 works
  2. 2 Arunodaya Raj Mishra #507 worldwide 9.8k citations · 215 works
  3. 3 Osman M. Bakr #703 worldwide 62k citations · 539 works
  4. 4 Mohamed Eddaoudi #1,507 worldwide 97k citations · 772 works
  5. 5 Pratibha Rani #1,724 worldwide 8.6k citations · 204 works
  6. 6 Youssef Belmabkhout #2,939 worldwide 24k citations · 287 works
  7. 7 Husam Niman Alshareef #3,390 worldwide 72k citations · 741 works
  8. 8 Ingo Pinnau #3,633 worldwide 26k citations · 274 works
  9. 9 Stefaan De Wolf #3,793 worldwide 39k citations · 432 works
  10. 10 Parvaiz Ahmad #4,024 worldwide 41k citations · 550 works
Top researchers in Saudi Arabia

Which cities in Saudi Arabia are research hubs?

  1. 1 RiyadhSaudi Arabia 143k works
  2. 2 JeddahSaudi Arabia 71k works
  3. 3 DhahranSaudi Arabia 33k works

How open and international is Saudi Arabia's research?

57% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 43% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available56.9%not open43.1%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors42.8%domestic only57.2%

World: 18% is written across borders.

In 2022-now, 68% of its research is openly available (world 63%) and 49% is written with co-authors abroad (world 22%). Against what its own mix of topics predicts, that is 1.16× the expected open access and 2.04× the expected international share, which puts it #23 of 173 countries on openness.

How has Saudi Arabia's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 72% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Saudi Arabia as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.74% in 2024.

still counting0.50%1.0%Saudi Arabia0.76% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Saudi Arabia over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Over the whole record, 12.4% of its 390k works since 1950 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting10%20%Saudi Arabia15.0% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 15.0% in 2025.

Which countries have research most like Saudi Arabia's?

India is Saudi Arabia's closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like Saudi Arabia's, with both strong in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics.

  1. 1 IndiaBoth strong in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics, Dentistry, Chemistry 0.81 Compare
  2. 2 IranBoth strong in Dentistry, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics 0.78 Compare
  3. 3 IraqBoth strong in Dentistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics, Chemistry 0.75 Compare
  4. 4 EgyptBoth strong in Dentistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics, Chemistry 0.67 Compare
  5. 5 YemenBoth strong in Dentistry, Mathematics, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics 0.64 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

Compare Saudi Arabia with

Compare any two

Share Saudi Arabia's ranking

Saudi Arabia on Science Explorer

A card with Saudi Arabia's standing and the fields it leads in, for a post or a slide. A link to this page previews as the same card.

Download the card

1200 × 630 PNG, sized for social posts, drawn from the latest snapshot.

Badges for a website4Each links back here and updates with every snapshot

Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where Saudi Arabia is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

Overall

Subfields

Research fields in Saudi Arabia

Questions people ask

What is Saudi Arabia strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, Saudi Arabia ranks highest in Engineering (#24 of 131), Computer Science (#26 of 128) and Chemistry (#15 of 71). Relative to its size it is most specialised in General Dentistry, Orthodontics and Modeling and Simulation.

See the full answer

How fast is research in Saudi Arabia growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 72% higher than in 2018-2021.

How has Saudi Arabia's research grown?

Who are the top scientists in Saudi Arabia?

Xuping Sun, Arunodaya Raj Mishra and Osman M. Bakr rank highest among researchers based in Saudi Arabia.

Who are the top researchers in Saudi Arabia?
All 1,273 questions in the Question Catalogue

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about Saudi Arabia. Keep it to the research: no personal attacks, advertising or links. Any reader can report a post, which collapses it for everyone until it is opened.